Machinery foe



PETER ARNESON.

OF NE\VARK,

YE7 JERSEY.

MACHINERY FOR FORMING- HAT-BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,168, dated August 23, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER ARNEsoN, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Forming Felt Hat- Bodies; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this speciication, in which- Figure l, is a longitudinal vertical section of my invention, taken in the line x, w, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of same, taken in the line y, y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a framing which may be constructed in any proper way to support the working parts of the machine.

B, is an endless apron which is placed horizontally on the framing A, at the front part of the machine. This is the feed apron as will be hereinafter shown. On the framing A, there is also placed a perforated or open endless apron C, and between the two aprons B, C, a picker D, is placed and two rollers E, E, the latter being placed one over the other in the same plane, as shown clearly in Fig. l. The rollers are placed between the apron B, and picker D, and the latter has a concave or apron F, placed below it.

Directly below the perforated or open apron C, a. chest or box G, is placed. This chest or box communicates with a fan box II, which is at the lower part of a vertical spout I. In the top of the chest or box G, an o-pening J, is made, and K, K, are two metal plates which are placed at the upper part of the box or chest G, and below the openings J. The inner edges of the plates K, K, are made of curved form so that a taper opening K, will be obtained between them, see Fig. 2, the form of the opening depending on the kind of hat body required, that is to say, according as the fur is to be presented to the former or cone. The plates K, K, are allowed to slide toward and from each other, and one plate overlaps the other so that the orifice or opening K, between them may be enlarged or contracted as occasion may require.

At the outer part of the perforated apron C, two rollers L, L, are placed, one over the other in the same plane. Directly over the apron C, a case M, is placed, said case covering the apron C, and picker D. The case has a wire cloth top N, as shown plainly in Fig. l. Directly in front of the rollers L, L, a picker O, is placed. This picker O, as well as the picker D, previously referred to is formed of a cylinder having teeth in its periphery in spiral or diagonal rows.

Each pair of rollers E, E, L, L, is connected at one end by gears a, and the endless aprons, pickers and rollers, are driven by belts b, as shown in Fig. 2, the driving shaft P, being in the lower part of the framing. The fan Q, in the box H, is driven from shaftlP, by a belt c.

On the upper part of the spout I, and to the side facing the picker O, a pulley R, is attached. This pulley is open at its center as shown at al, and it is driven by a belt e, from the shaft P. The pulley R receives the former or cone'S, which is made of metal perforated in precisely the same way as usual. On the flooring at the base of the spout I, there is a vessel T, which has a conical interior corresponding to the form of the former or cone S. See Fig. l.

The operation is as follows: Motion is given the shaft P, in any proper manner, and the several working parts move in the direction indicated by the black arrows. The attendant when the machine is in operation places the fur on the endless apron B, which conveys it to the rollers E, E, the latter presenting it to the picker D, which throws it up in a light mass within the case M, and over the perforated or open apron C. The fan Q, by its rotation generates a suction blast through the case M, apron C, and box or chest G, as indicated by the red arrows, and this suction blast draws down the fur in the case M, on the apron C, so that the fur will form a layer thereon of varying thickness according to the width of the,

opening K', that is to say, the st-rongest draft will pass through the apron C, at that point directly over the spot where the opening K', is the widest and consequently the fur will lie on the apron C, thicker at said point than at any other, and the layer of fur on the apron will transversely gradually decrease in thickness corresponding with the taper form of the opening K. This layer of fur of varying thickness passes between the rollers L, L, and passes on the cone S, by means of a suction blast generated by the fan Q. The suction through the former or cone S, draws the lighter portion of fur directly up from the picker O, while the heavier portions are thrown outward by the revolutions of the picker and are drawn on the cone at its outer surface, the fur being drawn on the under side of the former or cone as the latter rotates and extending upward to two opposite points of its surface and in a layer of varying thickness corresponding precisely with that formed on the apron C, by the suction blast and the taper opening K. Y

I-Iat bodies it will be understood gradually increase in thickness from the crown to the inner edge of the brim, and the brim gradually decreases in thickness from its inner to its outer edge. By referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the opening K', increases in width from l to 2, and then gradually decreases from 2 to 3, corresponding with the varying thickness of the layer on the apron C.

By this invention hat bodies may be formed in a very rapid and perfect manner and as the plates K, K, are adjustable the thickness of the layer of fur may be modified as required. By having the former or cone S, placed relatively with the picker O, and rollers L, L, no deiector or guide spout is required, the fur being drawn on the former or cone direct from the rollers L, L, and from below the picker O, by means of the suction blast, the picker serving to throw out the lheavier mass of fur so that it may be drawn on the former or cone at a point opposite to the lighter portion.

The apron C, may ybe formed of any suitable material. A perforated or open cylinder might be used instead of an endless apron, in fact any form of perforated carrier may be employed but an endless apron would probably be referable.

When a body is ormed on the former or cone S, a perforated cover U, is placed over it, and the whole is removed from the pulley R, and placed inverted in the vessel T. The former or cone is then gently shaken and the body is loosened from it, the former or cone may then be removed leaving the body in the cover. The formers or cones should be used so that an empty one may be placed on the pulley R, as soon as one covered with a hat body is removed therefrom.

I do not claim broadly placing the fur on an endless apron in a layer of varying thickness corresponding to the desired thickness ofthe body on the former or cone, for this has been previously done by hand; nor do I claim, broadly, the varying of the thickness of the felt by suction as this is seen in Gills patent, No. 16,426; but,

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

The arrangement and combination of the adjustable plates K, K, perforated apron C, case M, feed rollers L, L, and pickers D, O, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

PETER ARNESON.

Witnesses:

WM. TUsoH, J. W. CooMB. 

